Just a quick update today, as I want to go to bed shortly. This story is a little old, but I find anything to do with Turkey fascinating. And when it’s combined with commentary on emerging democracies? Whew.
So, I bring you a look at how a strong personality creates political change: Longing for Ataturk.
By the way, the picture at the top of my blog there is of a Turkish taxi in Istanbul. Loved that place.
Edit: I changed blogs, so the picture is no longer there. I’ll paste it below for your viewing pleasure.
From Telegraph.co.uk:
“Radar data recorded in space has found the remains of a giant lake under Darfur’s arid sands, launching plans to sink 1,000 wells that could help stop the region’s war.
A team led by a veteran of Nasa’s Apollo lunar exploration programme used satellites’ remote sensing equipment to build a picture of the 12,000 sq mile lake.
Although its waters drained away as the region turned to semi-desert, researchers are confident large amounts of moisture have been preserved as groundwater.
The conflict in the western Sudanese province of Darfur, which has killed 200,000 people and forced 250,000 from their homes, has its roots in clashes over scarce water resources.”
Read the rest at the website.
Would this work? I’m skeptical. Still, I thought it was a really cool story.
Absurd question, I know. Yet, a column in The Tyee, a British Columbian online newspaper, makes the argument that yes, war is over. According to the columnist, war has become obsolete as a way to solve problems.
He raises some good points such as that due to the prevalence of small arms, suicide bombers and other means of waging guerilla combat (most people call it “guerilla warfare”), it has become extremely difficult if not impossible to win a war through conventional military means.
I think he’s arguing that conventional warfare is dead, not warfare in general. He also focuses on strongly asymmetrical forms of warfare, where both sides have such different capabilities that they cannot even relate to each other, and each fights in the way to which he is most accustomed and suited for. This is not always the case today, but it is definitely becoming more usual.
There is a good discussion going on at The Tyee though. Take a look. It touches on one of the most interesting questions in military affairs today.
“Traditional feminism has been utterly incapable of dealing with problems that girls are facing. They are so committed to the idea that that we have to be like men and that any differences between the sexes are socially constructed the result has been extremely unhealthy for girls. Let’s be clear: A lot of men are wonderful, but it’s the adolescent male that the third-wave feminists are now imitating.”
This quote comes from an article in today’s Toronto Star that profiles Wendy Shalit, author of a new and somewhat controversial book, Girls Gone Mild. This book seems to be getting a lot of attention (and marketing!) with several articles, a website, and even a blogged debate featuring Shalit and sex columnist Dan Savage, among others.
In her books, Shalit encourages young women to embrace modesty and expresses doubts with what she thinks is the feminist belief that being overtly sexual empowers women.
Okay, I haven’t read the book. I have taken a look at the various websites. I don’t think I agree with her overall message, but she probably makes a few good points. I do think girls are over-sexualized these days and, as she says, it is very likely that a few of them aren’t comfortable with it. I’m sure too though that there are those who are quite comfortable, and also that there are those who find their own happy medium and don’t buy in to either extreme: extreme modesty or extreme sexuality.
Anyway, in the interest of exposing people to various viewpoints, I’m writing this blog entry and providing all the links above. Take a look if you’re so inclined. I promise, if I find a really good sex-positive story in the news I’ll feature it in the blog too. Help is always appreciated, as I don’t see many in the mainstream media. I am an avid reader of Dan Savage’s weekly column though, so that blog linked above (and here too, why not) was pretty interesting to me.
You may have seen this before. If you haven’t, why on earth not? Beloved by professors, at least by my professors, the Failed States Index attempts to quantify the factors that lead to failed states, and comes out with a numbered list of the most at-risk states in the world.
The top 5 of 2007:
- Sudan
- Iraq
- Somalia
- Zimbabwe
- Chad
Continue reading ‘Failed states’
An article from today’s Toronto Star inspired this post.
In it, the author describes how “a fundamental disrespect for women (is) creeping into our everyday Internet experiences.” She mentions a “malicious sexist streak” that has crept into blog posts, forums and other social networking sites.
I have to say, she’s right.
I’m going to start this by telling the world: I am a huge geek. I’m a female geek too, which might strike some people as odd. I know there are others out there too who use the Internet in all its wonderful ways, even up to and including gaming. Now, I will definitely not claim that only women are abused as gamers. In the heat of the moment, all manner of insults are hurled against all manner of players. These range from the standard “fag” and “your mother!” types to unheard-of racial insults. I refer you to the following important theory.
Continue reading ‘Open season on women on the web’
An article on the BBC:
Mass Zimbabwe arrests over prices
President Robert Mugabe is imposing price controls in Zimbabwe, and arresting anyone who violates them, in an effort to curb the crippling inflation the country currently faces. Too bad that this violates every basic rule of economics. Somehow, I don’t think it would work. Unfortunately, my economic knowledge only extends far enough to tell me that this won’t work… not to tell me what will.
Announcing the cheerful topic of the day: cluster bombs. I hope somebody reads this, because I like to think it’s pretty important. Even if you don’t read what I say, you should at least click on some of the links at the bottom of this post. My aim right now is to provide a summary of the issue in a way that does not sound like any of the academic papers I have turned in over the last four years. Here goes:
Cluster bombs
What is a cluster bomb?
Cluster bombs are a type of munition usually dropped from a plane onto a target. They consist of one large shell that breaks open in the air, releasing thousands of tiny “bomblets” that blanket an area with small explosives.
There are however flaws in their design. The “bomblets”, once released, are effective, but can be inaccurate, with some bomblets blowing off course and away from the intended target. Also, while the bomblets are supposed to explode immediately, they very often do not, leaving the target area littered with tiny landmines.
Who uses cluster bombs?
Continue reading ‘Cluster munitions’
